.200" Leade: Any problem here?

I have just reloaded a few .270 cases to where the bullets are .020" off the lands. The loaded cartridges fit fine in the rifle and the bolt closes with no problems. Interestingly, I had an old un-shot box cartridge lying around. The bullet in the cartridge seemed to be seated a lot farther into the case than was the just-reloaded bullet (130 grain Nosler). I compared the two cartridges with a Stoney gauge and found that there was over a .200" leade with the factory round in the Remington Mountain Rifle. Can't be erosion, since the gun has had perhaps only 50 rounds shot through it.

So, is a leade of more than a fifth of an inch customary for Remington and/or other non-custom rifles in the larger calibers, or is mine just abnormally long-throated? I called Remington and they didn't give me a good answer, asking me to send them the rifle and the cartridges so as to better clarify things. I haven't shot any of the new reloads and wonder if there will be pressure problems. I mean, a .200" difference in leade measurements has me wondering if I should set the bullets back more or leave them at .020" off the lands. I usually set the bullets back .010" for the very accurate varmint rifles, then play with that value to fine tune for accuracy.

I have just reloaded a few .270 cases to where the bullets are .020" off the lands. The loaded cartridges fit fine in the rifle and the bolt closes with no problems. Interestingly, I had an old un-shot box cartridge lying around. The bullet in the cartridge seemed to be seated a lot farther into the case than was the just-reloaded bullet (130 grain Nosler). I compared the two cartridges with a Stoney gauge and found that there was over a .200" leade with the factory round in the Remington Mountain Rifle. Can't be erosion, since the gun has had perhaps only 50 rounds shot through it.

So, is a leade of more than a fifth of an inch customary for Remington and/or other non-custom rifles in the larger calibers, or is mine just abnormally long-throated? I called Remington and they didn't give me a good answer, asking me to send them the rifle and the cartridges so as to better clarify things. I haven't shot any of the new reloads and wonder if there will be pressure problems. I mean, a .200" difference in leade measurements has me wondering if I should set the bullets back more or leave them at .020" off the lands. I usually set the bullets back .010" for the very accurate varmint rifles, then play with that value to fine tune for accuracy.

Any ideas?

I've had 2 remington 700 .270s and the both had deep throats/long leade.
I asked my old 'smith about it on the first one and he showed me a 160gr round nosed factory load by Norma I think (it was many years ago).
Anyway, he explained that most rifle makers chamber .270s to accept these rounds without jamming that long round nosed slug into the lands.
Thus the deep throat. It made sense to me at the time and still does.
I don't mind it now that I know I can seat a 150gr tangent or double secant ogive bullet waaay out there and still be .020 off the lands. This makes for more powder capacity and lower pressures up around the max load(s). Thankfully the magazine is long enough to allow them.

"...is a leade of more than a fifth of an inch customary for Remington and/or other non-custom rifles in the larger calibers,"

Yes. And not just Rem, others as well. Factory sporting/hunting rifles are not intended to be BR guns, their throats HAVE to be long enough to allow seating of the longest commercial round availabale, safely.

Factory sporters rarely shoot best seated BR fashion, at or rinto the lands. Most shoot best from .030" to .125", or more, off the lands. And that's with some of the heavier (longer) bullets.

Whoa! If you said it, I believe it. I will play around with greater bullet set-backs to compare the accuracy. It looks like BR and large-caliber hunting rifles are two different animals. I had no idea, since I have only the .270, plus a Cooper .20VarTarg, and a .222 and a .22-250 (both 40x Remingtons) with blueprinted actions, BR barrels, triggers, and all the other stuff for maximum accuracy. The .222 is an original Remington Custom Shop 40X that is a joy to shoot. I like the .20VT also, but it somehow does not have the fit and finish of the two Remingtons.

If I ordered another rifle, I would probably look at a 6mmBR, but I really don't need a rifle in this caliber.....well, at least that is what I keep telling myself.

Anyway, thanks for the information on the leade differences. Back to the bullet-seating die.

I've handloaded for a couple of my buddies. Both had Tikka T3s in .300 Win Mag. Both had very long throats. Most of my loads would only allow the bullets to be within .150 to .200" or more due to magazine clearence.

Both rifles were capable of sub .5" groups at 100 yards.

I usually put mine .020 to .050" off the lands except when clearence is limited.